Opening means for boxes



G. N; HINGSTON.

OPENING MEANS FOR BOXES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-8,1920.

Patented June 14, 1921.

TIC? I.

WITNESSES: I;\'VE; \'TOR.

Z George llhifimgsioiz,

y v- Q 56 ATTORNEY-S;

UNITED STATE-S,

PATENT, OFFICE.

I GEORGE N. KINGSTON, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

OP NING MEANS non noxns.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GnonenN Hmcsrorr, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Opening Means for Boxes, whereof the following 1s a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to opening means for boxes or containers such as are very commonly used for shoe paste and the like; my aim being to enable such boxes to be easily and conveniently opened without complication of construction or necessity for special implements or accessories. I have herein illustrated and described in detail the best embodiments of my invention at present known to me as applied to tinned iron or other sheet metal boxes of the flat, round form most used for shoe paste, indicating the scope and essentials of the invention in my claim.

In the drawings, Figure I is a plan view of a container embodying my invention, and Fi II is a corres onding front elevation. i ig. III is a mi sectional elevation at a plane corresponding to the line IIIIII in ig. II.

ig. IV is a artial mid-sectional elevation similar to ig. III, but illustrating a modified form of embodiment of the inven-, tion.

Fig. V is a fra enta exterior elevation, from the left of ig. I?

ThecontainershowninFigs.I, II, and III comprises a sheet metal body or box proper 1 and a sheet metal lid or cover 2 therefor,- though it will be understood that these terms body and lid are more or less relative and arbitrary, since their appropriateness depends largely on the relative depths of the parts 1 and 2 and on convenience in actual use of the container. As shown, the body 1 has an external lateral annular shoulder formed by a radial flange 3, extending all the way around the body and formed by outward expansion and subsequent flattening of the cylindrical metal side wall a suitable distance below the upper edge of the body 1. The cover 2, it will be seen, fits snugly (and even rather tightly) on the portion of the body 1 above the flange 3.

The lid 2 has a lateral extension 4 outward above the body flange 3,this extension being, as shown, also annular, and ex- Application filed November 8,1920. Serial No. 422,537.

' Specification of Letters Patent. PatentedJ 14 1 921 tending all the way around the lid. As shown, this lateral extension'4 has first the character of a radial flange 6, and then that of a cylindrical skirt 7 depending from the flange outside of and below the body flange 3. n this lateral extension 4 is an aperture 8 formed by cutting .away the flange 6 and the upper part of the skirt 7 a short distance circumferentially, leaving a strong, substantial width of metal 9 bridgin this aperture at the lower edge thereof. t will readily be seen that the extension 4 affords a hold, at its own lower side or edge, for opening the container, while the aperture 8 therein afl'ords free access to the upper side of the body flange 3 for the same purpose. Thus the lid 2 may be lifted off the body 1 at the apertured side of said lid by'a squeezing action of the fingers (or, on occasion, of pliers or the like) on the lower side of the extension 4 and the upper side of the flange 3 where it is exposed in the aperture 8.

When the lid is on tight, the lid extension flange 6 rests or seats on the shoulder of the body flange 3.

In the modification shown in Figs. IV and V, the shoulder formed by the radial annular body flange 13 is lower on the body than the flange 3 and of somewhat less width. The lateral lid extension 14 begins with an outward offset or jog le 15 of the cylindrical lid wall, whence t e cylindrical skirt 16 extends downward to the radial lid flange 17 ,flange and skirt bein thus interchanged in relative positions. hen the lid is on tight, the lid flange 17 seats on the shoulder of the body flange 13 and extends outward beyond its outer edge, so that its lower side affords a hold for opening the container.

As shown, the opening in the lid extension 14 which affords access to the upper side of the body flange 13 has the form of a slot 18 in the outward-extending metal of the joggle 15. This access is utilized by means of an angular metal piece 20, one member 21 of which is adapted to slide through this slot, while its other member 22 extends outward from the lid wall in correspondence with the flange 17. The member 22 of the slide piece piece has an elongated slot 23 through which extends a headed stud 24 whose other end is fastened securely in the adjacent skirt 16: this stud 24 coacts with the jo gle slot 18 in guiding the slide piece 20 in a efinite path. Thus the lid can be lifted ofl the body by a squeezing action of the fingers on the parts 17 and 22, by means of the .access afforded to the upper side of the shoulder 13 by the-slot '18. 7 Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

Acontainer comprising-La body WithaneX- havin 7 said shoulder and afl'ording a hold at its own lower side .-for opening the container, 7 said extension being :apertured to afford ac- 7 cess to the upper side of the shoulder on the bo y and p r it the lid to be lifted Off the body by a squeezing action of the fingers.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto 1E signed my naine at Philadelphia, Pennsyl- .vania, t his 4th day of November, 1920,. t ternal shoulder, and a lid for said body a lateral extension outward above GEORGE N. HINGSTON.

'Witnesses:

JAMES H. "BELL, L. FULLERroN. 

